I am an ordinary American citizen. In September 1996, my brand-new husband and I visited Pearl Harbor while on our honeymoon. It was the most (and almost certainly only) somber moment of a joy-, fun-, and laughter-filled week on Oahu. We tread lightly as we boarded the memorial and kept our voices down as we surveyed the water and horizon. We walked around the memorial and stood there in humbled and reverent silence, with neither of us able to comprehend the size and scope of the attack on that dark, dark day. The thought of ANYONE snorkeling in that area, knowing full well it is a watery graveyard, is outrageous and insulting. To know that the FBI director did so, especially because he was in Hawaii only because his girlfriend was performing a concert in Honolulu around that time, is especially galling and sickening. He knew what he was doing, but he JUST DIDN'T CARE. That is the MO if this administration, just like Melania's jacket: I REALLY DON'T CARE. DO YOU?
There are currently 72 republican members of congress who are veterans. That non have roared about this blatant disrespect is one of the most dishonorable things I’ve witnessed in a while.
My father was a Navy corpsman during World War II. he was at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He never talked much about it, but the little he did made it clear how horrific the suffering was and how much was sacrificed. That Patel treats this memorial like a Club Med excursion is beyond belief. If you are not outraged, you should be.
Thank you, General Hertling, for bringing attention to the activities of the ABMC. One of my father's uncles, who survived Omaha with the Big Red One only to die in the fighting around St. Lo weeks later, is interred at the American cemetery near Saint-James, France. It is a beautifully maintained place that is often overlooked by people traveling to the cemetery overlooking the Normandy beaches. I had the privilege of visiting the site a few summers ago. The retired USAF officer who manages the property guided me to the grave, rubbed some Normandy sand on my relative's name to turn it gold, and presented me with a certificate of service and small American and French flags to take home. It was a moving tribute to a man who never made it out of his youth in service of a cause I fear is poorly appreciated by too many Americans these days.
I'm not sure I can fully express my outrage at seeing the Patel story. I served 24 years in the Navy and retired as a Senior Chief. We have a tradition for ships entering Pearl Harbor of 'Manning the Rail' where sailors ring the deck rails of the ship as a salute to those who lost their life in the attack on Pearl Harbor. I've lost count of the number of times I took part and I can say it was deeply moving every time. To hear this self-important twit of an FBI director used his position to do such an undignified act is a stain on his office and should offend any who have served and rendered honors to those who died in service of our country.
It would never, in several lifetimes, occur to me, that I needed to do a tourist dive on the U.S.S. Arizona. How does one individual keep doing something close to the worst thing possible, each, and, every time? And we keep paying for his adventures!
Reading Comey's Red Verdict, great read. In Chapter 21, very clear he had heard about Patel's visit to Hawaii including time in the water. No allusion as to where he had been swimming.
Thank you for the writings concerning the monuments. At a time of an administration that respects nothing but the god of money, this article should have the one small paragraph about a temporary blip in history and reprinted for Memorial Day. I had tears reading these words. My father, who was on the Nevada on that day also left a small piece of himself at that harbor, until the day he died. Thank you General.
I am an ordinary American citizen. In September 1996, my brand-new husband and I visited Pearl Harbor while on our honeymoon. It was the most (and almost certainly only) somber moment of a joy-, fun-, and laughter-filled week on Oahu. We tread lightly as we boarded the memorial and kept our voices down as we surveyed the water and horizon. We walked around the memorial and stood there in humbled and reverent silence, with neither of us able to comprehend the size and scope of the attack on that dark, dark day. The thought of ANYONE snorkeling in that area, knowing full well it is a watery graveyard, is outrageous and insulting. To know that the FBI director did so, especially because he was in Hawaii only because his girlfriend was performing a concert in Honolulu around that time, is especially galling and sickening. He knew what he was doing, but he JUST DIDN'T CARE. That is the MO if this administration, just like Melania's jacket: I REALLY DON'T CARE. DO YOU?
Why did the Navy allow and facilitate it?
Excellent piece, General. There have been so many straws to break my back, but this is the final straw. Absolutely despicable.
There are currently 72 republican members of congress who are veterans. That non have roared about this blatant disrespect is one of the most dishonorable things I’ve witnessed in a while.
Thank you, General Hertling and Mr. Swift.
My father was a Navy corpsman during World War II. he was at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He never talked much about it, but the little he did made it clear how horrific the suffering was and how much was sacrificed. That Patel treats this memorial like a Club Med excursion is beyond belief. If you are not outraged, you should be.
Thank you, General Hertling, for bringing attention to the activities of the ABMC. One of my father's uncles, who survived Omaha with the Big Red One only to die in the fighting around St. Lo weeks later, is interred at the American cemetery near Saint-James, France. It is a beautifully maintained place that is often overlooked by people traveling to the cemetery overlooking the Normandy beaches. I had the privilege of visiting the site a few summers ago. The retired USAF officer who manages the property guided me to the grave, rubbed some Normandy sand on my relative's name to turn it gold, and presented me with a certificate of service and small American and French flags to take home. It was a moving tribute to a man who never made it out of his youth in service of a cause I fear is poorly appreciated by too many Americans these days.
See you in San Diego!
I'm not sure I can fully express my outrage at seeing the Patel story. I served 24 years in the Navy and retired as a Senior Chief. We have a tradition for ships entering Pearl Harbor of 'Manning the Rail' where sailors ring the deck rails of the ship as a salute to those who lost their life in the attack on Pearl Harbor. I've lost count of the number of times I took part and I can say it was deeply moving every time. To hear this self-important twit of an FBI director used his position to do such an undignified act is a stain on his office and should offend any who have served and rendered honors to those who died in service of our country.
It would never, in several lifetimes, occur to me, that I needed to do a tourist dive on the U.S.S. Arizona. How does one individual keep doing something close to the worst thing possible, each, and, every time? And we keep paying for his adventures!
"As a Boomer (a term that I thinks needs an update--maybe Grandpas?)"
Close, but let's shorten it: "the Grand Generation."
fnord
Reading Comey's Red Verdict, great read. In Chapter 21, very clear he had heard about Patel's visit to Hawaii including time in the water. No allusion as to where he had been swimming.
Who’s the Cleveland fan? I’m a former Clevelander
Thank you, General Hertling. Your beautifully written piece moved me to tears.
JMHO, but no one other than trained divers on a professional assignment should be diving around the USS Arizona.
Thank you for the writings concerning the monuments. At a time of an administration that respects nothing but the god of money, this article should have the one small paragraph about a temporary blip in history and reprinted for Memorial Day. I had tears reading these words. My father, who was on the Nevada on that day also left a small piece of himself at that harbor, until the day he died. Thank you General.